The Scorching Depths

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bc56
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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Classroom

Sekhmet nods and dips the pen into the jar of ink. "I'm going to have to write on you, could you show me your hand?" If Miranda complies, Sekhmet pricks her finger with the knife, then uses her blood to mark a geometric symbol around the iris of the glass eye. Once that's done, she then marks Miranda's palm using the same symbol, but in ink. "Now all we have to do is touch the glyphs together, and it should be undone." So she does.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

Post by Earl of Purple »

Recaiden wrote: Oct 03, 2022 5:34 pm [Summer Party]

"Fits whoever is looking, maybe? I- sure."
Anchor looks through the dresses, picking out - if she can - something that's mostly black-and-white.
And then she hurries off to the bathroom to change into it.

The shadow puts on the bird earrings and turns her head back and forth. The bracelet, she just holds onto. Shadows and fire don't mix directly, but they have a lot of indirect overlap. This could be really neat. Then she places in the jewelry box a little note, reading "!ʞɔɒd mɘʜɈ Ɉnɒw υoγ nɘʜw ʞƨɒ Ɉƨυį ;γɿlɘwɘį ɘʜɈ woɿɿod ɘm ϱniɈɈɘl ɿoʇ ƨʞnɒʜT" and shuts the lid again.
Jack smiles as Anchor turns to leave, shrugging a little at her modesty, but shuts the wardrobe door and reopens it, to see if Anchor's theory was correct and the clothing has changed size to fit her own frame, which... Earl isn't sure on Anchor's build, but Jack's slender and androgynous.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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Summer Party
When Jack opens the wardrobe again, there's a slightly different set of dresses in her size.
It seems her prediction was spot on.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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bc56 wrote: Oct 07, 2022 6:23 pm Classroom

Sekhmet nods and dips the pen into the jar of ink. "I'm going to have to write on you, could you show me your hand?" If Miranda complies, Sekhmet pricks her finger with the knife, then uses her blood to mark a geometric symbol around the iris of the glass eye. Once that's done, she then marks Miranda's palm using the same symbol, but in ink. "Now all we have to do is touch the glyphs together, and it should be undone." So she does.
[Classroom]

"...Somehow, I was expecting that to be more elaborate." Miranda comments, rolling over her newly-reverted hand. "At least it's not especially discrete. There's no way this is going to be done without my knowledge." She presses her fingers together in an attempt to keep pressure on the fresh knife-wound and reclaims her seat. "And does that ritual work on any succubus? Or just the ones that are still technically alive?"
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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Classroom
"It should work on anyone who, uh, alters their body in the same way a succubus does. Or on someone who was altered that way by force, although that's, uh, pretty rare. And the blue ink is a, uh, specific formula. The recipe is here." Sekhmet hands over a piece of parchment with instructions on it. It's not very complicated, mostly mundane ink, except it requires scorpion grass flowers (that shouldn't be a problem for someone with a box that can produce objects at will). "The flowers symbolize remembrance, they're a common ingredient in counterspells."
Sekhmet isn't going to mention the ways Miranda's exposure to succubus essence has altered her true form. It's normal for magic to have a little effect on one's physiology, but it shouldn't get worse unless Miranda starts really leaning into being succubus-like, and Sekhmet doesn't think that's likely.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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[Classroom]

Miranda looks over the formula with a little frown, her eyes resting on that key ingredient in the ink. That might be a bigger problem than Sekhmet would have expected; she probably doesn't have the fabfiles to produce a specific, non-commercial plant, and she's not entirely certain how she could get some. She might be able to synthesize the ink directly, but since magic is involved, she's not sure if there's a compound in the flower that has the intended effect, or if the act of creating the mixture was what triggered the magic. To be safe, she'd have to follow the formula as closely as she could, which would doubtless mean going to an outside supplier for scorpion grass and the rest of the ingredients. At least she's still in a position where she could easily pay them for their trouble.

"And how long does this reversion last?" She asks, moving away from that problem for now. "Can I change back immediately or is there a lingering effect to worry about?"
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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Classroom
"Usually you won't be able to change again for a while. How long depends on how powerful you are, so, uh, I don't know. She doesn't know how the numbers work and she's not going to try to compare Miranda's power with her own, because the difference is stark enough that that comparison would be worthless.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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[Classroom]

"...So basically, I'll have to keep trying until it works again." Miranda confirms, nodding to herself. "And I'm guessing that's going to be subject to change the more practice I get, right?" She gives the demon queen a little smile. "If that's the case, I might just have a barometer for myself. A good way to quantify how far along I am." She pauses, before segueing straight into another point, "...Unless there are other side effects I should know about."
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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Classroom
"Other side effects? Not of the ritual, it, uh, removes magic, it doesn't add anything. I guess any, uh, desirable transformations would be removed along with undesirable ones, but I think you knew that. And I wouldn't try it on someone who's anemic, since drawing their blood would, uh, be bad." If Miranda was asking about something other than the ritual, she'll probably need to clarify. If not, it seems pretty safe, except for the blood.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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[Classroom]

"Oh, good." Miranda gives Sekhmet a cheerful little smile and waves the topic away. "Nothing to worry about, then." She neatly folds the paper in fours and tucks it into the breast pocket of her jumpsuit. "All right, I'm satisfied on that front. What else did you have planned for today?"
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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[Summer Party]
Earl of Purple wrote: Oct 08, 2022 12:57 pm Jack smiles as Anchor turns to leave, shrugging a little at her modesty, but shuts the wardrobe door and reopens it, to see if Anchor's theory was correct and the clothing has changed size to fit her own frame, which... Earl isn't sure on Anchor's build, but Jack's slender and androgynous.
bc56 wrote: Oct 08, 2022 3:09 pmWhen Jack opens the wardrobe again, there's a slightly different set of dresses in her size.
It seems her prediction was spot on.
Compared to Jack, Anchor is shorter, less slender, more feminine - so the dresses should be noticeably different.
It'll take her a few moments before she returns from the bathroom wearing the new, more elaborate garment.
"Well, did you find something good?"
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Re: The Scorching Depths

Post by Earl of Purple »

Summer Party

"I'm... not sure. I think I like this one, but I don't know if it'll change when I do. And if I change now, the mirror might stop working and I don't want that to happen yet." Jack pulls out a red dress as she speaks, and holds it up against her body to look down it.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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Classroom
Sekhmet thinks. "Not specifically, but, uh, I wanted to ask if you'd manifested any other, uh, abilities beyond shapeshifting." It's a good question. Miranda mentioned her hands getting hot, that could be the foundations of pyromancy. And there could maybe be other things as well.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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[Classroom]

"Well, yeah, I think so." Miranda replies. "I don't feel cold when I get up in the morning anymore, for one. Which at first I just thought might have been a seasonal thing, except for the part where we're on the wrong hemisphere for that. I think I might have accidentally melted the front doorknob on my cabin the other day, too." She taps her fingers against her desk, pointedly checking for any deformations before continuing. "I've noticed I've been getting a lot more attention lately, particularly from men. I'm not sure if that's a direct consequence of the succubus venom, or if they're just noticing a few... cosmetic changes." She reddens. "I think that one might be cutting both ways, but that strikes me as more of a drawback than possible signs of a new ability manifesting."
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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Classroom
Sekhmet thinks over what Miranda described. "I, uh, am pretty sure that's just a result of the, uh, cosmetic change, and even if it's not, I, uh, don't think you want to develop that sort of control any further." Maybe Miranda does want to develop the ability to manipulate her body chemistry and pheromones? There are a few practical applications that don't involve seduction, but it would be a difficult path to walk without any sort of enhanced senses. "And I wouldn't worry about the change. It won't get worse unless you put effort into it or something goes very wrong," Sekhmet makes emphatic motions near her chest, which is much larger than it was when she and Miranda first met.
"Cosmetic change?" Mary butts in. "You don't need to worry about it until you're older," Sekhmet replies. Not much older, she's already 14 and showing a few signs of puberty.
"Uh, anyway we should work on getting that fire under control," Sekhmet switches back on topic.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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[Summer Party]

Oh, a reasonable concern, when different kinds of transformations pile up.
"The mirror is still right there. I mean, if changing stops it, you can just ask it to make you an elf again." Anchor points out.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

Post by Earl of Purple »

Summer Party

"That's a good point. Excuse me." Jack takes the chosen dress and leaves, headed to the bathroom to get changed.

It doesn't take too long for her to gasp quite loudly and call out. "I've got a bellybutton!" This is a surprise, as Jack didn't have one before- she wasn't born, but hatched from an egg, and so didn't have an umbilical cord in the same way.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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bc56 wrote: Oct 10, 2022 10:48 pm Classroom
Sekhmet thinks over what Miranda described. "I, uh, am pretty sure that's just a result of the, uh, cosmetic change, and even if it's not, I, uh, don't think you want to develop that sort of control any further." Maybe Miranda does want to develop the ability to manipulate her body chemistry and pheromones? There are a few practical applications that don't involve seduction, but it would be a difficult path to walk without any sort of enhanced senses. "And I wouldn't worry about the change. It won't get worse unless you put effort into it or something goes very wrong," Sekhmet makes emphatic motions near her chest, which is much larger than it was when she and Miranda first met.
"Cosmetic change?" Mary butts in. "You don't need to worry about it until you're older," Sekhmet replies. Not much older, she's already 14 and showing a few signs of puberty.
"Uh, anyway we should work on getting that fire under control," Sekhmet switches back on topic.
[Classroom]

"To be honest, that first thing does sound like a useful ability to have. If the sort of thing that would require a lot of discipline to avoid gross abuse." Miranda adds, spending entirely too long dwelling on the subject. Subtly manipulating people's emotions to create a desired outcome? She's seen that before, on a much more mundane level, and...

Never mind. Rose is way more of an emotional wreck than Miranda would ever want to risk.

"...All right. Let's work on that fire, then." Miranda begins again, pressing her hands together.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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[Summer Party]
Earl of Purple wrote: Oct 11, 2022 3:13 pm "That's a good point. Excuse me." Jack takes the chosen dress and leaves, headed to the bathroom to get changed.

It doesn't take too long for her to gasp quite loudly and call out. "I've got a bellybutton!" This is a surprise, as Jack didn't have one before- she wasn't born, but hatched from an egg, and so didn't have an umbilical cord in the same way.
Well, what can Anchor do but come to see this for herself?
"I mean, I understand that is normal for elves. Although, I could imagine elves without them, kind of funny that the mirror expects them to have it."
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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Classroom
"Fire," Sekhmet begins, "Is one of the most difficult powers to control. Ordinary fire uses wood or coal as fuel, but magical fire uses emotions." The demon queen takes a few steps, circling slowly around Miranda, then makes a thrusting gesture with her hand, flinging a tongue of flame off to the side. "The easiest emotions to channel into flame are fear and anger, because of their intensity. But the fires can grow out of control if left unchecked. First we need to extinguish your flame." Sekhmet reaches out to very gently poke Miranda in the forehead with a claw. This should come with a psychic attack, a deadening of emotion which should also put out any magical fires lingering in Miranda's soul.

"What should I be doing?" Mary asks. "Keep practicing shapeshifting," Sekhmet instructs, "How about you be a cat?" "I'll try." That should keep her occupied while Sekhmet works with Miranda.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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[Classroom]

Miranda gives Sekhmet a slightly bemused look as the demon queen boops her on the forehead, accomplishing relatively little with that "attack"; Miranda's already got a pretty strong handle on her emotions, and deadening them further serves little purpose other than another layer of certainty for Sekhmet to work with. Which isn't really a bad thing, just redundant here.

"...That ritual we did earlier isn't going to cancel out any attempts at pyromancy now, right?" Miranda asks, following up with an obvious question.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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Classroom
"No. They draw on the same base source but function differently," Sekhmet answers. She lifts the enchantment from Miranda. That should restore her to a baseline level of emotion. "Now, focus your emotions. Feel them travel out to the tips of your fingers and beyond." Sekhmet raises an arm, slowly. "And... Release." She snaps her fingers, causing a flame like a candle to dance above her hand. "You try."
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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[Classroom]

Miranda nods and holds out her hand the way Sekhmet does, imitating her posture and form. She takes a deep breath and stares intently at her hand...

To which nothing happens.

"...I think I might need help getting them to the surface." Miranda suggests, not taking her eyes off her hands. "During my time with ARC, putting aside personal feelings and making clear-headed, rational decisions was a large part of my job. Anger especially, though that was as much for personal reasons as it was a part of my job." She frowns. "It's difficult to let it bubble up again. My first instinct is to try to rein it in."
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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Classroom
"Uh, right. Just, uh, try again." Sekhmet fully expects Miranda to fail again without assistance. But she also doesn't want to force emotions onto her friend. So instead she concentrates. As Miranda starts to raise her arm again, a shadowy, monstrous shape materializes behind Sekhmet and lunges.
It's an illusion, but the hope is that a burst of fear, either for Sekhmet or herself, will push Miranda over the hump with this magic.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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[Classroom]

That runs into another problem. Namely, that the first thing Miranda's going to do if Sekhmet appears to be in danger is push past her and grab a weapon, not continue focusing on the magic lesson. Especially since the illusion outs itself fairly quickly; the timing is obvious, and Miranda pulling the "get down miss queen" routine on her probably isn't doing her concentration any favors.

Miranda sighs as she lowers the inkpot, shaking her head. "...So much for clear-headed." She grumbles sardonically.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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Classroom
Sekhmet dispels the illusion. "I was, uh hoping it would scare you into shooting it with fire." It's unfortunate that didn't work. "I don't want to force emotion onto you to make it easier, this, uh, needs to be natural." Is there another way they could engineer some strong emotion?
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Re: The Scorching Depths

Post by Earl of Purple »

Summer Party

When Anchor walks in, Jack turns to show her the new bellybutton. It's a little inny one, pretty standard as bellybuttons go, notable only for the fact it wasn't there the last time Anchor had a chance to look at Jack's stomach. If Anchor can get her eyes that far, anyway; she noticed it after she took her dress off, and she hasn't put the one she's borrowing/stealing on yet.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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[Classroom]

"That would have been a terrible move on my part." Miranda chides. "Using a weapon I have no idea how to properly operate to address a target whose intentions and weaknesses are uncertain, seconds after being told how easily improper use could result in disaster, would not be especially wise." She gives the demon queen a little smile and shakes her head. "If you're trying to provoke me, there are less dangerous ways to do it."
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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Classroom
"What would you recommend then?" It sounds like if Sekhmet wants to get Miranda to shoot fire from her hands, she'll need a different tactic. But Miranda instinctively limits her emotions and reacts rationally, which makes this rather difficult.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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[Classroom]

"Well, there's..." Miranda begins, before trailing off into silence. What Sekhmet's asking for is sort of counter to her entire way of life. If she knew of something that would readily set her off, she's been working on it ever since she had the corresponding epiphany. And if she's been failing at it... well, she doesn't really want to admit that to Sekhmet. It's more than a little personal.

"...I think I might have something." Miranda sighs, taking up a ready stance again. "...You're going to want to step back."

...

...

Presumably, there's going to be fire at some point here. At the very least, something more exciting than a slightly ominous glow around her palms.

"...Damn." Miranda sighs, lowering her hands. "I thought for sure that was going to work."
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